Folding bed



2 Sheets-Sheet 1Q E. G. ALEXANDER 81; D. LYNN.

FOLDING "BED. I

Patented Oct. 9, 1888.

(No Model.)

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"'(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. B. G. ALEXANDER 8v D. LYNN.

FOLDING BED.

No. 390,640. Patented Oct. 9, 1888.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT Trio.

EDWARD C. ALEXANDER AND DAVID LYNN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 390,640, dated October9, 1888.

Application filed January 21,1888. Serial No. 261,460. (No model.)

T 0 all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EDWARD O. ALEXAN- DER and DAVID LYNN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFolding Beds; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the'letters and figuresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to that class of beds known as upright foldingbeds, and it consists of the combination of parts, as hereinafterspecified, and pointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of our invention is to construct an easy, light, andinexpensive device.

The swinging section of the bed is balanced by means of a series ofcoiled springs, which are coupled to the head end of the swingingsection, and have adjusting rods and nuts, whereby the tension of saidsprings may be readily adjusted for a light or heavily loaded swingingsection. Said springs are used in connection with the mechanism forcoupling, so as to be detached, the swinging section to the uprightsection of the bed.

lVith reference to the drawings, forming a part of the specification,Figure 1 is an isometrical view of our improved device, showing theswinging section in a horizontal position. Fig. 2 is a central verticalsection of Fig. 1, the parts being in the same position as in Fig. 1,showing also by dotted lines the swinging section in a verticalposition. Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are enlarged details, which will behereinafter referred to.

The upright frame or case consists of the base 0, sides B B, auxiliaryor inner facing sides, B, back N, top T, and door D, hinged to the frontof said case. The swinging section consists of the side rails, R, headH, foot F F, having legs a. To the outer face of the side rails, It, atthe head or pivoted end, we secure by means of bolts or screws metalheads H, as shownin Fig. 5. The screws pass through the holes 6 into theside rails. The outer face of the metal head is provided with twooverhanging lips, i i, and as the bottom of the metal head is wider thanthe top said lips stand on an incline. Said lips are made to registerwith and fill the inclined channels Z of the metal head H, the saidheads being locked together by forcing the set-screw S through the headH and against the face of the head H, as clearly shown in Fig. 8.

The swinging section carrying the heads H is detached from the heads Hby unscrewing the nuts S, and lifting up on the swinging section,thereby drawing the lips 2" out of the channels Z of the heads H.

Projecting from the outer face of the head H is a stem or journal, 25.(See Fig. 8.) Said stem passes through the yoke Y, also through thepulley E, which is made fast to said stem. The outer end of the stem 25is journa'led inthe metal bar A. Said bar and yoke are firmly secured tothe side B of the upright frame by means of the bolts 0.. (See Figs.v 1and 5.)

We employ on each side of the upright case a metal head, H, pulley E,and yoke Y. By this arrangement, when the parts are coupled, as in Figs.1, 2, and 8, the swinging section is pivoted to the upright section orcase.

The pulleys E, of which we employ two, are attached to the oppositesides of the upright frame, and havea channel, a, in the periphery. (SeeFigs. 1, 5, and 8.) Attached to each pulley is a cord or cable, 0, whichpasses one or more times around the pulley. The upper end of the cableis attached to a coiled spring, W. The upper end of each spring iscoupled to a rod or eyebolt, f, which passes through the top T of theupright case, having the thumb-nuts d screw-threaded onto said rods oreyebolts. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

\Ve employ an auxiliary spring, W, which acts as a governor. Said springis located against the back N of the upright case, its upper end beingattached to the rod f, passing through the top T of the case, having athumbnut, d, screwed onto the threaded upper end of said rod. The lowerend of the spring W is attached to a cable, 0., which extends down to ornear the base Gof the upright case. At said point is attached a metalbracket, S, carrying the independent pulleys at and 6. To the front edgeof the case 0 is attached alike bracket, S, carrying pulleys 5 and 7 Thecable 0' passes under the pulley 4, then up over pulley 5, then,crossing, passes down around pulley 6, then back under and up overpulley 7, then centrally along under the swinging section, having itsopposite end firmly attached to the head-board H at 3. (See Figs. 1, 2,and 3.)

The operations are as follows: Raising the swinging section up at itsfree or outer end causes the metal heads H H to turn from a a verticalto a horizontal position as the swinging section enters the uprightsection. (See dotted lines in Fig. 2.) The pulleys E being made fast tothe journals or stems t of the swinging heads H", said pulleys arecaused to rotate backward, thereby paying out the cable 0, which isdrawn up by the force of the springs XV, thereby lifting on the swingingsection in its movements. As the swinging section moves from thehorizontal to the vertical position the head end H drops, when thestress of the auxiliary spring W on the cable 0 will cause the series ofpulleys 4, 5, (l, and 7 to revolve as said spring draws upward on saidcable. By this arrangement the united stress of the springs causes .theswinging section to rise and fall gradually, the desired tension beinggiven to said springs by means of adjusting the thumb-nuts (Z d. As theswinging section leaves the upright frame in its downward descent, theside springs, \V, balance it until it begins to assume a horizontalposition, so that the pivoted end begins to rise. At this point agreater resistance is required, which is obtained by the force or stressof the auxiliary spring W. This is caused by the upward movement of thepivoted end of the swinging section, which, drawing upward on the cablea, passing over the series of pulleys, causes the spring W to belengthened or expanded.

The cable 0, passing over the various pulleys,ofl"ers a strongresistance to the downward descent of the swinging section at the timemost desired,whereby the swinging section in its downward movement hasthe required resistance.

R represents the bottom of the swinging section,which,when said sectionis in a vertical position, forms the front of the bed.

'When the bed is folded, the door D, hinged to the upright frame at h,is swung upward, so as to allow its upper edge to pass under the ledgeor apron Z, crossing the swinging section. The key K, being then turned,the door is locked in a vertical position. TheledgeZ of the swingingsection, pressing on the upper edge of the door, prevents the swingingsection from careening forward and holds it in a vertical position.

Z is a chain, one end being attached to the door D, the other end to theswinging section, whereby, when the door is unlocked, it will swingforward to the dotted position of Fig. 2, and be brought gradually downas the swinging section assumes its horizontal position, the door beingalso lifted from the floor or carpet as the swinging section assumes avertical position.

The foot-board is longitudinally divided and consists of two parts, thepart F being hinged to the part F by means of springhinges h, which maybe of any suitable style. Said hinges hold the upper section, F, in avertical line with the section F, and also hold the section F whenpressed over onto the garments A of the bed, as shown by dotted lines inFig. 6. The latter position prevents the garments from falling out ofthe swinging sec tion when in a vertical position.

Having thus fully set forth our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a folding bed, the combination of the upright section, theswinging section, the metal heads H H", coupled together, having thejournals '6, supported by the yokes Y, the heads H being attached to theswinging section, the heads H", made fast to the upright section, towhich the yokes Y are also attached, the pulleys made fast to thejournals '6, the cables attached to said pulleys, and the coiled springsattached to said cables at one end and having adjustable connection withthe upright section at the opposite ends, as and for the purposesspecified.

2. In combination with the upright section, the swinging section, theheads H, made fast to the swinging section, the heads H", having thejournals tmade fast thereto, said heads being detachably coupledtogether, the pulleys made fast to said journals, the yokes made fast tothe sides of the upright section supporting the journals t, the cablesattached to said pulleys, and the springs WV, having their upper endsattached to the top of the upright section, as and for the purposesspecified.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

EDWARD G. ALEXANDER. DAVID LYNN.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN T. Dom, R. B. WHEELER.

